Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Best to Worst of Last Week

This was a good week in comics despite what I read from another reviewer. But with all reviewers we bring our personal prejudices into the review process and cannot in good conscious really be 100% objective in our views. As I have stated before I believe, writer, artist, character and premise all play a role in deciding whether I want to read a book or not, then when I actually read the book I’m predisposed to liking it or at least being interested in it. Plus a book with low expectations does not need to be as good when I have high expectations going into a book. This thought process annoys me in a work environment as I was told directly by one boss that more was expected of me because I was well considered to be a high quality worker and I was held to a higher standard. This annoyed me because I thought it made it harder for me to get a higher raise. Still in reviewing if the book has been excellent and drops to good, that is a downward mark and if a book has been okay and goes to good it is an upward tick. Hard to avoid double standards at times.

All Star Superman #8 – What a beautiful issue and each page was a masterpiece. I’m not a bizarro fan, but this worked. Morrison and Quietly have what I believe to be their seminal work. Stands with any run in comics.Detective Comics #834 – Great ending to the Batman / Zatanna story.Action Comics #851 – Terrific issue, just makes me mad I have to wait until whenever for the Annual to see this story end. Good use of 3-D.Dynamo 5 #5 – Five issues out of five have been really good. Wonderful series.Ward of the State #3 (of 3) – Moved way up the list because as a story, it was really a good read, well written and nice art. As a single issue it is not this high, but all three issues together bring it up the list.==============================================Exterminators #19 – Award for upping the creepy factor and the ending was horrifying.Black Canary #1 (of 4) – Great beginning for this mini-series.City of Others #3 (of 4) – Hell I’m a big Bernie Wrightson fan and even if the story sucked (which with Steve Nile writing it, it is a decent story) I would probably enjoy this series.Astounding Wolf-Man #2 – I was reading this issue and felt the art work is still too amateurish and the story was a little boring, but wow the ending made this book. Beautiful shock ending and now I can’t wait for issue #3. The artist does have a learning curve at this point, as the art is weak.Garth Ennis’ Chronicles of Wormwood #5 (of 6) – Blasphemy at its most humorous and violent and perverted, but you can’t hate a talking rabbit.Nightwing #134 – Best issue in Wolfman’s run and in awhile for this book in general.Jonah Hex #21 – Very good series, unsure how the two stories tired together.Scalped #7 – Just a great really tough hard nosed issue.Outsiders #49 – Good issue, but the ad in DC comics wrecked the guesswork for who makes Batman’s team.Welcome to Tranquility #8 – This book pays dividends as you learn the characters. Very good issue.Atom #13 – Strong, solid series, just lose the quotes please.American Virgin #16 – My favorite arc so far in a good series.Daredevil Battlin’ Jack Murdock #2 (of 4) – Good background on DD’s dad and how it impacted Matt.Countdown #43 – Good issue, confused as to how Captain Atom has an army and why he is bent on war.New Warriors #2 – Okay the first issue sold me for issue #2, but this issue is way too slow to building to starting the book up.Ant-Man #10 – Okay issue, but the book has been canned with issue #12, which is not a problem for me.Faker #1 (of 6) – Okay beginning, but a little bit of a slow start.============================================Uncanny X-Men #488 – LaRocca’s photo reference is so annoying as he has changed iconic characters looks so that they no longer even are recognizable. Prof X as Lex Luthor from Smallville and Nightcrawler as Tom Cruise. The story is so-so.Ultimate Power #6 (of 9) – Great photo reference book of guess who Greg Land used for what character. This book has lost it for me.Thor #1 – This issue was nothing, a horrible way to re-launch this character. One issue and some whining ass soliloquy between Don Blake and Thor. Not worth the money. I guess this book starts with issue #2.Fallen Son Death of Captain America: Iron Man - This waste of paper is over. Better then Supergirl as John Cassady was the artist.Supergirl #19 – Pointless issue, a bad book.

The top is the best of the week, the middle are solid books that are entertaining and I think are worth a look at least and the bottom are books that may be axed at some point. All Star Superman really deserves a status all its own as this is an Absolute Edition in waiting that I will gladly buy.

The bottom group all survive this week. Supergirl survives due to a new creative team coming on the book, Fallen Son is over, Thor gets a couple of issue to be an actual story before I judge it (I hate pointless beginnings that waste my money), Ultimate Power I may drop even after hanging in for six issues (nah I finish it out like an idiot) and Uncanny X-Men I really get for my daughter and then read it to mock it. Actually I keep hoping the X books get better, it is like hoping an old friend gets well after a long illness.